condoms

page updated: 31-Mar-2004

The first kind of birth control I used was a condom, and the first time I had sex with a boy, we used a condom. They seem to be the default birth control, because they protect against conception as well as infection. Other reasons that I picked them were that they are cheap (or free from a number of organizations- try a birth control clinic, school counsellor or queer alliance), easy to use, easy to have around and require no prescription or doctor visits.

I have never been in a position to have sex with a person whose sexual history was a mystery to me, or who I had reason to believe hosted an infection that they could give to me, so my main use for condoms has been as birth control. Also, I have never had to argue or even discuss with a person whether we would use a condom. The people I've had sex with expected "safer sex" just as I did. We're a big ball of good educated, compliant citizens. Jan from clitoris-size-pics referred me to a decent list of "things to say if your partner doesn't want to use a condom."

Just recently, I tried to put a condom on my boy for the first time. It wasn't necessary, as we've been on a pill system for awhile, but I'd never put a condom on a guy before and it seemed like fun foreplay. Surprise-- it's kind of hard to do! I felt like a big wiener! Boys and girls, practise at home before you're under pressure to get a condom in place!

Firstly they like to slip out of place if you try to tug them on in any way. Secondly, even if you get them on the right direction, they like to roll under themselves as they are unrolled and get tangled up so they can't unroll anymore and you have to start again. Furthermore, male members, even when turgid have all this extra skin that can slide around and generally make it difficult to roll anything over them. Finally (!), condoms have to be tight and their tightness just complicates the process. They just want to snap back to their rolled up position if you let go at any time before they are fully unrolled with the remaining ring securely gripping the base of the penis.

Something I noticed during adventures with various condoms: "thin" styles seem to be easier to fit on, as in they are not so disturbingly tight, but the regular heavy duty kind are less likely to get turned under and tangled.

Practise must make perfect though; I had never noticed my boy having any difficulties in the area (not to imply that he practises this excessively. Just...whatever).